Oxford Nanopore Technologies
Ltd today announced the completion of an exclusive license agreement to
develop nanopore science developed at the University of California, Santa Cruz,
in the laboratories of Professors David Deamer and Mark Akeson.

Oxford Nanopore will also fund research in the laboratories of Professors Deamer
and Akeson, who have pioneered the science of using protein nanopores to analyse
DNA molecules. Applications of the platform include single-molecule DNA sequencing
and molecular sensing. Advancement of this technology is expected to benefit
basic medical research and further the field of personalised medicine.

This follows the recent announcement of an agreement with Harvard University
to in-license a broad range of nanopore technologies that included some discoveries
from UCSC. The Company also holds agreements with other leading institutions
in nanopore science including the University of Oxford, Texas A&M, the University
of Massachusetts Medical School and the US National Institute of Standards and
Technology (NIST). Together this places Oxford Nanopore in a unique and leading
position for bringing first and future generations of nanopore technology to
the market.

Technology Advisory Board

Oxford Nanopore also announced today that it has convened a group of the world’s
leading nanopore researchers to form its Technical Advisory Board. This panel
will include:

The Company’s founder, Professor Hagan Bayley of the University of
Oxford

Professors Dan Branton and Jene Golovchenko of Harvard University

Professors David Deamer and Mark Akeson of the University of California,
Santa Cruz

Professor Amit Meller of Boston University

Together, this group will give the Company unparalleled technical expertise
in the development of Oxford Nanopore’s current and future nanopore sequencing
technology. The Company’s first generation of nanopore sequencing, using
BASETM technology, is poised to be the first label-free DNA sequencing system.
By avoiding chemical labels and optical equipment to give a direct electrical
readout that identifies DNA bases, a dramatic improvement in sequencing speed
and cost would be expected.

“The science of nanopores is complex and challenging. We are very proud
to have gathered a world-class panel of experts, from leading institutions in
this field,” said Dr. Gordon Sanghera, CEO of Oxford Nanopore Technologies.
“Our relationships with the Advisory Board members extend beyond pure
technical advice; our support of research in the laboratories will further the
science of nanopores. Oxford Nanopore now has the world’s best advisors
and an excellent in-house development team of scientists and engineers. We are
in a unique position to develop an early-to-market sequencing technology and
improved versions in the future. A label-free approach to DNA sequencing would
facilitate a transformation in genomics that could be likened to the broadband
revolution.”

The expertise of this Technology Advisory Board encompasses many aspects of
nanopore sequencing. This includes BASETM sequencing, the method currently in
development at Oxford Nanopore, which combines a biological nanopore with a
processive enzyme arrayed on a silicon chip. Future generations of nanopore
sequencing technologies may use solid-state nanopores, or may analyse single
stranded nucleic acids. Each member of the Oxford Nanopore Technology Advisory
Board has written numerous pioneering scientific publications and made important
inventions relating to these aspects of nanopores.

More powerful and affordable DNA sequencing technology is expected to drive
a revolution in the understanding of the genetic cause of disease and the development
of new, targeted treatments for disease. The interest in this area is illustrated
by the much-publicised pursuit of a “$1000 genome.”

A label-free approach is expected to deliver truly powerful and affordable
DNA analysis. Existing methods rely on expensive optical technologies, fluorescent
labels and in some cases complex sample preparation, all of which is bypassed
with nanopore sequencing. In addition, long read lengths would simplify the
data re-assembly process and promise to provide routine access to previously
challenging experiments.